Sunday, November 14, 2010

Mailbox Monday-- Down to a Trickle


My favorite weekly meme is on tour. For the entire month of November you'll be able to find Mailbox Monday on Knitting and Sundries. If taking a look at the books other people discovered in their mailboxes intrigues you, and if you'd like to participate, this just might be the meme for you. Thanks for hosting, Julie!

I've been busy making Christmas ornaments and doing a bit of work on the blog (mostly behind-the-scenes sorts of things), so it's been rather quiet on the book front. If a few hadn't come through on my Paperback Swap (PBS) wish list, I would've been bookless last week-- something that's unheard of. I sent 2 books to new Paperback Swap foster homes and received 3. Here's the scoop on the three books I received:


Dying Fall by Judith Cutler (PBS). "Sophie Rivers has a job she enjoys, a satisfying life and a close circle of friends. Then things go suddenly wrong; one of her students is murdered on college premises, and her best friend George meets a tragic end which everyone believes to be an accident - everyone, that is, except Sophie." Judith Cutler has been one of my favorite crime fiction writers for several years now, but her books are difficult to find over here in the US. I'm always thrilled when I can get my hands on one!

The Arsenic Labyrinth by Martin Edwards (PBS). "DCI Hannah Scarlett returns to crack open another cold case. Ten years after the disappearance of a local woman, Emma Bestwick, a stranger comes to the Lake District and offers up tantalizing clues that could lead to a solution to the mystery. Meanwhile, historian Daniel Kind is researching the life of John Ruskin, the nineteenth-century poet, art critic, and philosopher. As usual, Scarlett's mystery and Kind's research intersect, this time at the Arsenic Labyrinth, a group of mining tunnels built by friends of Ruskin that could hold the answer to Emma's disappearance. And let's not forget the mysterious stranger: villain or concerned citizen? The Scarlett-Kind novels rely heavily on their beautiful Lake District setting, but Edwards never lets the atmosphere outshine the stories." Another excellent series and writer that can be difficult to obtain. Once again, I'm tickled at getting this book!

Shadow Pass by Sam Eastland (LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program). "It is 1939. The world stands on the brink of Armageddon. In the Soviet Union, years of revolution, fear and persecution have left the country unprepared to face the onslaught of Nazi Germany. For the coming battles, Stalin has placed his hopes on a 30-ton steel monster, known to its inventors as the T-34 tank, and, the 'Red Coffin' to those men who will soon be using it. But the design is not yet complete. And when Colonel Nagorski, the weapon's secretive and eccentric architect, is found murdered, Stalin sends for Pekkala, his most trusted investigator. Stalin is convinced that a sinister group calling itself the White Guild, made up of former soldiers of the Tsar, intend to bring about a German invasion before the Red Coffin is ready. While Soviet engineers struggle to complete the design of the tank, Pekkala must track down the White Guild and expose their plans to propel Germany and Russia into conflict." Looks like this one is being published in the UK as The Red Coffin, so be careful!

That's it for this week. Now it's time for me to start roaming the Internet, checking out the other participants' goodies. This is fun!

21 comments:

  1. Looks like you have a lot of fun reading to do! Nice!

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  2. The Arsenic Labyrinth looks like a good one! Please stop by my Mailbox if you get a chance. Happy reading!

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  3. My books have slowed down too, which is a good thing! I'd love to see some of the ornaments you've been making.

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  4. Great books! Shadow Pass sounds interesting, I'd love to read more books about Russia. Have a great week and enjoy your books!

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  5. Mary-- I think so, too, and it's taken a long time for me to get my hands on a copy!

    Julie-- It certainly is!

    Lady Q-- I've found the first two books in the series to be very good, so I'm looking forward to reading this one.

    Kathy-- They're nothing special, but they keep my hands busy while sports is on telly!

    Elysium-- I've just now begun to read a few more books set in Stalinist Russia and have had very good luck indeed.

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  6. Thanks for stopping by, Is the Davinci Code a mystery? If yes, this is the last mystery I have read. :) Don't you love this about book blogging (great community for all readers).

    Have a wonderful week!

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  7. Ooh those first two sounds good, and I haven't heard of either author before. I'm particularly intrigued by the second one. I checked in your archives and I noticed that you paired Martin Edwards with Deborah Crombie (in a post about Kate Ellis). Since I'm a huge Crombie fan, I think I need to try Edwards (and maybe Ellis too)! Enjoy your new reads!

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  8. Looks like you got some great books! Happy reading!

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  9. All these books look good to me. i think we share some of the same tastes! Enjoy your books!

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  10. I really like the title for The Arsenic Labyrinth, the imagery is quite foretelling once you read the synopsis.

    Very excited for you that you got this one :)

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  11. What a great haul! I like the sound of Shadow Pass. Happy reading!

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  12. Great mailbox. Sometimes a slow book week is ok. I think I only got three too.

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  13. These look like some great books --many of them are new to me, but hope u enjoy them.

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  14. Mari-- Yes, this is one of the things I love about the book blogging community. There's something for everyone!

    Avis-- If you like Crombie, I really think you'd like Edwards and Ellis.

    Kate-- Thanks!

    Myckyee-- I think we do, too!

    CBC-- Enjoy your week, too!

    Aisle B-- So am I!

    Sharon-- I was happy when I learned that I'd gotten a copy.

    Holly-- With the number of books I have on Mt. TBR, many many bookless weeks could pass before I'd start feeling the pinch!

    Diane-- I hope I do, too!

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  15. Thanks for confirming that -- I'll keep an eye out for both authors!

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  16. The Arsenic Labrinth sounds good. Also like both it's cover and title.

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  17. I hope you'll share some pics of the Christmas ornaments!

    Happy reading!

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  18. Avis-- Good luck!

    Heather-- I've really enjoyed the first two books in the series, so I'm happy to finally have a copy of this one. :)

    Anna-- I'm thinking about it. They're really nothing special!

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  19. Love the mystery thrillers! The description of Shadow Pass makes me want to read some more about it! Enjoy the reads and thanks for sharing!

    Julie @ Knitting and Sundries

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!